Super Bowl LVII positional breakdown: Which team has the advantage in the NFL's biggest game?

21 weeks of the NFL season all comes down to this. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona this Sunday, each hoping to cap off memorable campaigns with a Super Bowl victory.

As the league's curtain closer draws nearer, we take the chance to dissect each positional unit and decide which team chasing their second Lombardi Trophy since 2017 has the advantage in each.

While Jalen Hurts' rise from second-round draft pick to MVP candidate has been rapid and hugely impressive, it's clear that Patrick Mahomes is the pre-eminent quarterback talent in the NFL right now.

Mahomes' stock has only climbed this postseason as the former MVP has risen above a high ankle sprain to produce two vintage performances to lead his team to a third Super Bowl appearance in four years.

Hurts' rare rushing ability means he has every chance of coming out of Sunday with an MVP award, but five consecutive seasons of elite Mahomes football mean the Chiefs have the clear advantage for this one.

The Chiefs' attempts to fix an offensive line decimated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 couldn't have gone much better with Orlando Brown, Creed Humphrey and Joe Thuney all being named to the Pro Bowl this year.

Kansas' o-line finished the season fourth in Pro Football Focus' offensive line rankings and seventh in pass blocking but still pales in comparison to a Philadelphia unit that is regarded as one of the NFL's best over the past two decades.

The consistent play of centre Jason Kelce and tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, who hasn't given up a sack in two years, is well documented but the real strength of this unit is their lack of a weak link. Not to mention their physicality has practically guaranteed success on 4th and one this year.

AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith possibly represent the best 1-2 punch at receiver in the NFL. This year saw them become the first Eagles receiving duo to each surpass 1,000 yards receiving and their diverse skillsets mean head coach Nick Sirianni always has a wealth of offensive play calls available to him.

Future hall-of-fame tight end Travis Kelce has made eight consecutive Pro Bowls and ensures this is not a blow-out victory for the Eagles. The 33-year-old's chemistry with his quarterback and ability to make plays after the catch is unparalleled in the league right now but a lack of top-tier options around him and the injury questions surrounding the Chiefs' receiving room means Philadelphia takes this one.

Fresh off a two-touchdown performance in the Championship Round victory over San Francisco, the Eagles' Miles Sanders heads into his first Super Bowl off the back of a regular season that saw him earn top-ten figures in rushing touchdowns, yards and yards per attempt.

Sanders has been outgained in both of the Eagles' postseason appearances this year, demonstrating their depth at the position, as well as the offensive line's run-blocking effectiveness.

The Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been elevated from IR in time for Sunday's meeting but the former first-round pick was sliding behind rookie seventh-rounder Isaiah Pacheco in the depth chart even before sustaining an injury in week 11.

After the Chiefs' running back room ran 15 times for 27 yards against the Bengals, it's an advantage to Philadelphia for this one. And that's before you take into account Jalen Hurts' elite rushing abilities.

The importance that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni places on the trenches is demonstrated in the depth, experience and elite play of his team's offensive and defensive lines.

Led by free agent signing Haason Reddick, four Eagles players have 12+ sacks this year (including the postseason) on a line that boasts four Super Bowl rings, 19 Pro Bowl selections and 11 All-Pro honours.

The defensive line is also an area of strength for the Chiefs, who earned the second-most sacks (55) in the regular season.

The issue for Kansas' d-line is that their counterparts are historically good. Only two teams (the 1984 Bears with 72 and the 1989 Vikings with 71) in NFL history have had more regular season sacks than this Eagles unit and they've followed it up with another eight in two postseason games.

Headed into the 2022 season, secondary looked to be a position of worry for the Eagles. However, the cheap additions of CJ Gardner-Johnson and James Bradberry have helped the unit finish the season ranked first in the NFL in Pass Defense DVOA.

Also featuring shutdown corner Darius Slay and dynamic safety Reed Blankenship, the Eagles secondary allowed the fewest passing yards per game (171) in 2022 and ended the season with the fourth-most interceptions (17).

Devoid of much veteran experience, the Chiefs' secondary has regularly featured four rookies on the field at the same time. Steve Spagnuolo's defence gave up a league-high 33 touchdown passes to opposing quarterbacks this season and finished 19th in passing yards per game allowed (221).

The health of corner L'Jarius Sneed will be vital to the Chiefs' defensive efforts Sunday as he returns from concussion protocol but even with the 26-year-old fully fit, it's clear that the Eagles again have the advantage here.

Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton have formed a solid linebacker partnership over the past couple of years for Kansas. Both have earned PFF grades of above 71.0 in coverage this year, with Bolton also excelling against the run. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars' Foyesade Oluokon had more regular season tackles this year than Bolton, who was taken by the Chiefs with the 58th overall pick in the 2021 draft.

This year has seen the Eagles' TJ Edwards complete his rise from undrafted rookie to high-level NFL starter, earning signal-calling duties on a Philadelphia defence overloaded with veteran experience.

In contrast, Edwards' linebacker partner Kyzir White has struggled at times this campaign, earning PFF grades of below 64.0 in run defence, pass rush and coverage. The former Los Angeles Charger has also missed 15 tackles whilst allowing a passer rating of 90.7.